Leica Camera UK has opened Leica Store London Mayfair at 14 Dover Street, a new UK flagship that takes the number of Leica-owned stores worldwide to 116, according to 365 Retail.

The 234 sq m store and gallery occupies a Mayfair town house, surrounded by luxury brands, fine-art galleries, restaurants and members' clubs. The client space is split across four levels and holds all of Leica's product families: cameras, sport optics, watches, home cinema and mobile, plus its pre-owned and vintage range.

The new store takes over as the UK flagship as the Duke Street store closes. Leica Store Harrods remains open as usual. Private areas across several floors offer a more discreet and comfortable setting, the report says.

Inside the town house

Visitors are greeted by a wall of five photographs from Leica's Hall of Fame.
An atrium runs from the lower ground floor to the first floor, giving an unobstructed view of the sky and letting natural light into the building. A bespoke art installation hangs within it, made for the store to express the optical quality of Leica's products.
The building's curved form is carried through the fixtures, furniture and a curved seating area on the ground floor. The bars and the key-product vitrine reference the architecture of Leitz Park, the brand's headquarters in Wetzlar.
On the second floor, window bays let clients look at Leica watches in daylight, or test telephoto lenses and sport optics against views across Mayfair.
The lower ground floor houses the Leica Gallery, dedicated to cultural and artistic experiences and a rotating programme of exhibitions by renowned photographers.

King Nerd Edition marks the opening

To mark the opening, Leica is selling 14 special edition Leica M-A cameras made with British artist Johnny Dowell, known as King Nerd. Dowell is a multidisciplinary artist, designer and engraver born and raised in West London, who has developed traditional hand engraving into a contemporary practice.

The cameras are engraved with an English Rose, Scottish Thistle, Welsh Daffodil and Northern Irish Blue Flax to reflect the British Isles. They go on sale from 5 November at an RRP of £15,800, and come with a Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH. lens finished in red scale. The front of the lens is blacked out and painted to match the colour of the King Nerd Edition.